Warrior Cats: Sun and Shadow
by Nightwolf King of the Wolves
Summary: In the beginning there were not four clans but two: Sunclan and Moonclan, the clan of dark and light, night and day, shadows and fire. this all began with two cats and their friends. rated T just in case
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is set a long, long LOONNGG time ago when there were only two clans: ****Moonclan and Sunclan, the clan of darkness and the clan of light. This is the story of how the two**** clans came to be.**

**DISCLAIMER: ****warrior Cats belongs to Erin Hunter (not me** **)**

A small black kitten trembled. She was backed up against a wall, two toms stood over her, menacingly. One was large and muscular and had a long, narrow scar over his left eye, the stench of rotting flesh swarmed up the kittens nose, making her want to gag. The other was lean and scrawny, one tooth was far longer than the other and protruded from his top lip.

"Give us the food and no one will get hurt" the muscular tom spat the lean one giggled "good 'un Thorn" he said with a snort. This caused Thorn to smirk. The kitten, having no other choice dropped the crow-food she had been carrying. Thorn scooped it up in his powerful jaws and aimed a paw at her, scoring his thick, yellowed claws down her eye for good measure before he turned and swaggered off into the night.

The kitten lay, curled up and shivering. She shook her head, trying to no avail to stop the stinging in her eye.

Author's Note: Just to let you know time skips to when the kitten (Shadow) is an adult

Shadow stood at the edge of the city, behind her flickering street-lights dimly lit the murky city. She began to walk towards the forest, leaving her old life in the city behind.

As she walked her thoughts drifted back to the night she had gained her scar. As she had lain there, shivering with blood dripping from her eye she had made a vow. A vow that she would never be weak enough to let others hurt her again. She had started fighting. At first she had been easily overpowered but she slowly progressed, turning into the mean, well-muscled cat she was today. Her scar was a trademark, not one that showed weakness but one to let cats know who she was, to show she was someone to be feared. And now after two years of living rough on the streets she had decided to go to the forest.

Shadow took a deep breath, she stood at the edge of the forest, and she exhaled slowly before stepping into the vast undergrowth. Instantly hundreds of scents met her delicate nose. Her sensitive ears picked up the sound of prey in the undergrowth, reminding her of her growling stomach. The moon was now at its highest peak in the starry sky. Shadow's eyes narrowed to slits, were just about able to pick out a dense, leafy bush which she crawled under and fell into an uneasy sleep.

Shadow awoke to the sound of faint rustling, she opened her yellow eyes and peered through the gaps between the leaves. A plump mouse mat just a few tails in front of her, nibbling at a nut held between its dainty paws. Shadow noted that it was upwind which gave her a clear advantage.

She eased herself out from the shade of the large leaves and slowly made her way towards her unsuspecting prey. She was about to pounce when a twig snapped beneath her paw. The mouse turned, its eyes widening as it saw her. She cursed herself as it turned and fled, with her about to give chase.

Suddenly a mottled blur shot out of the trees, landing square on the mouse, and swiftly killing it. The skinny mottled tom looked up to see an angry she-cat approaching a scar covered her left eye which was firmly closed, the scar was an angry red where the fur had not grown back. He quickly flicked his gaze from the approaching cat to the dead mouse under his paws. Piecing things together he quickly stepped away from the creature.

"Oh, sorry" he muttered sheepishly. "I know you probably saw it first and…" "Damn right I did" Shadow barked, interrupting him mid-sentence. She grabbed the mouse and began gulping down large mouthfuls of the tender flesh.

"Woah, you must be starving" the tom said as he watched her. She merely grunted in reply, stood up her meal finished, and began to walk away. The mottled, young tom stood for a moment taken aback by her rudeness before he started to follow her. "My name's Cody" he said cheerily. The surly she-cat remained silent "so…what's your name?" he asked. "Shadow she grunted. "Are-" "look," Shadow interrupted him once again "is there a reason your following me around like a lost dog, or is there something you want to say to me?" she spat.

She glared at the strange tom that had tried to steal her prey why was he following her? She wondered. She felt bad for snapping at him once she took in his miserable expression. "Sorry" she murmured "it's just that I'm not used to people asking about me, usually they either want a fight or want me to fight someone for them" she admitted with a shrug. Why was she telling him this? She wondered she never told anyone these things. Ever! Especially not to some stranger she had just met.

"It's alright" Cody purred "I just wanted to ask if…if I could come with you, it's my first time in the forest and…and I thought I'd be safer with someone else", to her surprise she found herself agreeing to let him come with her. "Fine" she had snarled "you can come" she added in a much softer voice. And so shadow set off into the forest with Cody at her side, unsure of what she was trying to find.

The sun warmed Flare's back as he sat happily on the steps of his twoleg home. Birds tweeted in the thin trees that lined his garden and the loud clattering from inside told him that his housefolk were preparing his dinner. He yawned and stretched before wandering into the house through the open door.

It was summer, Flare loved the summer. The small housefolk always had a soft, cold creamy that they kindly dropped on the floor for him to lick up and crunch his way through the wafer cone-shaped thing that came with it. The summer also meant that his forest friend would be coming to visit him.

Flare wandered out in the afternoon sun, he sat on the wall at the end of the forest and squinted at it. To his joy a mottled, grey she-cat emerged from the dense trees. "Sage" he yowled as he jumped down to greet her. "It's good to see you, Flare" she purred. Flare looked at his friend. She was a lot scrawnier than when he had last seen her, her ribs were clearly visible through her pelt which had lost its usual sheen and taken on a dull appearance.

"Sage, are you…are you okay?" he asked alarmed. She sighed as she sat down "it was a hard spring" she muttered "but it'll get better though, now that its summer" she said, her voice taking on an unusually high squeak. "Sage" Flare sighed "I've know you long enough to know that you're lying" he told her gently "what's wrong?" he asked her gently.

A pained expression took over her usually cheerful features. "I-it's no big deal" she half laughed, he knew she was lying again but decided to stay silent. "Some toms from the city moved in, they um…they won't let me hunt and they've got cats everywhere they stop me from hunting and they take any prey I have" her voice was laced with desperation at this point.

Suddenly an idea sparked in Flare's mind. "We'll move to a different forest just me and you-""and my kits" Sage added. "And your kits…" Flare trailed off as he realised what she had said. "And your kits!" "Well, kit" she said a tearful expression replacing the pained one, their father was killed by the city cats when they first came and the other two…" a small sob wracked her small frame. Flare licked her face in sympathy and murmured comforting words in her ear.

He was shocked to see his usually cheery friend in such a horrible condition. "We'll find another forest" he told her again "just the three of us". "But what about your twolegs you can't leave them, I can't let you give up your comfortable life for me" she protested. I'd give up anything for you he thought silently, aloud he said "I've wanted to live in the forest for ages anyway" with a slight chuckle. She looked him in the eyes. "Thank you…"

Author's Note: thanks for reading. I'll try to update regularly. Please review, constructive critism is greatly appreciated.

I am Nightwolf, King of the Wolves, and Leader of all Packs.

I am the teller of tales forgotten.

I am the Storyteller


	2. Chapter 2: Sweet Revenge

**Author's Note: Thanks to anyone who left a review in the last chapter. A shout-out to Sunbeam360 who was the first to review Chapter 1. There is some gore in this (though it happens to the bad guy) and I wanted to mention that so that anyone who hates gore could be aware of it (it's in a lot of the paragraphs)**

**DISCLAIMER****: Warrior Cats belongs to the remarkable Erin Hunter, not me**

Shadow picked her way through he forest's dense undergrowth. She stopped suddenly, causing Cody to walk into her. "Sor-"he began but was quickly silenced with a glare. "What is it?" he asked in a whisper, crouching down beside her. "Cats" she answered simply, Cody raised his head to peer over the bush they were concealed behind. A group of rugged looking cats milled around a clearing. One of them was a large, muscular tabby with a rotten-looking scar over his eye another cat trailed around after him, as though he were the cats shadow except this one was lean and one tooth jutted out from his upper lip.

Shadow's eyes narrowed as her gaze focused on the large tom with the scar. Her yellow eyes glinted with malice. "Shadow, ar-are you okay?" he asked obviously seeing something unusual about his new-found friend. The scarred tabby looked up suddenly, perhaps alerted by the sounds of prey scuttling in the undergrowth or maybe because of pure chance, but whatever made him turn his head at that moment Cody knew they were in trouble. The tabby's eyes locked onto Shadows and he gave a yowl of warning to his companions. Screeching a war cry, Shadow lunged. All of the cats instantly swarmed around the tabby, protecting him. Blood pounded in Shadows ears, a rush of adrenalin rushed through her veins. She glided from foe to foe, slashing at eyes and throats sending any survivors running, screeching back to the forest.

At last she stood over the tabby, her eyes were filled with what could only have been described as pure fury. "Remember me" she spat, the helpless tabby shook his broad head, his eyes wide with fear pinned by his attacker. "I was a kitten" she told him, her voice laced with malice. A hit of recognition flashed across his face before it was instantly replaced with icy fear once again. "We were just trying to survive" he said, "It was a hard winter" he tried to explain. "No it wasn't, you filthy dogs were just too lazy to get your own food, so you stole it from a helpless kitten. You scarred me" she laughed a slight manic tinge to it. "You thought this scar would mark me as weak, but I've grow powerful, Thorn" she said his name as though speaking of something truly disgusting, "more powerful than you could ever imagine". "You are pathetic" she told him in a whisper. "Pathetic!" she roared. She raised a paw, long claws unsheathed and brought them down hard, slashing a deep wound in his throat.

Cody watched as Thorn's features changed to those of shock. He gurgled as blood gushed from his throat, pooling around his rapidly weakening body. He looked up at Shadow before his head hit the ground with a dull thud and his eyes stared unseeingly ahead. He was dead. Shadow walked past the dead bodies of the three others that hadn't managed to escape like the others.

She sat down calmly beside Cody, licking the blood from her caws. He looked at her in a mixture of shock and admiration. "Who was that?" he asked his voice coming out in an unusually high squeak. Silently she flexed her claws before answering "his name was Thorn, he gave me this as a kit" she told him with a sigh. "As a kit?" he gasped, he had suspected it to have come from a dog or even another cat, in a fair battle. Not from two rouge toms, hassling a kit. She turned her head and opened her scared eye.

Cody gasped at what he saw, where her eye should have been was instead a gaping hole. "W-what happened?" he asked slowly. "It got infected" she answered "I had to get it out before the infection spread, so I ripped it out myself" she explained. "I'm sorry…" Cody murmured sympathetically. "Don't be" she said with a shrug "I can fight just as well without it and you can't feel pain in something that's not there.

"Right, let's go" Shadow said, now finished cleaning her claws. Cody looked back at the clearing one more time, the metallic scent of blood drifted from it. He then turned and followed Shadow, his admiration for the surly warrior growing.

Shadow gazed worriedly at the sun, by now it was reaching its setting point. Soon they would have to stop and seek shelter for the night yet something willed her onward, some force calling her deeper into the forest.

They stopped and hunted, thankfully Shadow was able to catch something she didn't want to appear weak in front of her companion. As they sat in the light of the setting sun, chewing on prey Shadow found herself thinking back over the day. Did those cats have families? She wondered as her mind slipped into a darker, brooding place. I just killed Thorn, how does that make me any better than him, how is my cause better than his? "The sunset is beautiful, isn't it" Cody murmured, snapping her mind out of its brooding state. She took it all in for a moment. The breeze whispered through the trees, ruffling her fur gently. The sun cast its dying rays across the sky in beautiful streaks of gold. A few birds chattered in the trees before settling down for the night. She inhaled a deep lungful of air, it was fresh and cool unlike the murky city air she had grown used to. "Yeah" she said "it is".

"How did you end up here?" she asked, turning to face Cody "you know my story, so tell me your". "Well I was born in a farm place, my mother was a farm cat she used to catch mice and rats for a twoleg and in return he let her stay there. She always used to tell us to make sure that the twoleg didn't spot us, she told us never to leave the stables. One day the farmer found us, we were young, only a few days old. He…" Cody faltered, pained at the memory "he took my littermates, their names were Bumble and Theo and he drowned them".

Shadow didn't even flinch as he said this, most cats on the streets had even worse backstories. "I knew a cat once…his name was Brone. His mother disowned him, she was a kitty-pet she forced him to fight her and when he lost she abandoned him in the city". Cody blinked, unsure of why she was telling him this, she saw his unspoken confusion and said "he's one of the most loyal cats I know and now he fight almost as well as me. I'm just saying that you past doesn't shape you, Cody. You choose who you want to be, even though Brone was rejected, weak and lonely he became strong and confident and other cats look up to him. His mother thought he was a weak kit that deserved to die, but that's not who he is". "Thank you Shadow" Cody said his voice thick with emotion, "I never really thought of it that way. I thought that since that since twoleg wanted me to die then I wasn't good enough. That's why I left the farm and came to the forest, that's why I met you" he told her.

Silently the pair gazed up at the sky as the moon rose up into the sky and the stars began twinkling up above. A comfortable silence rested between them.

Flare followed Sage silently through the forest, picking his way through the gloom of the night. They were on their way to retrieve Sage's kit. "We're nearly there" she whispered as she wove her way through the dense undergrowth.

They reached a small cave tunnelled into the side of a cliff, overlooking a small river that trickled through the forest. "Wait here, keep a look-out" she told him before slipping into the cave. Flare scanned the dark forest, his amber eyes searching to pick up any trace of life.

The soft padding of Sage's footsteps told him that she was approaching. She stepped out of the cave, a sleeping kit hanging from her jaws. She set him down gently on the ground and Flare looked down at the beautiful bundle of life that sat in front of him. He instantly felt a strong urge to protect the helpless kit. "She looks a lot like you" he mused. The she-cat was a pale white and had a dusting of grey specks across her body, like a paler version of her mother.

"What's her name?" Flare asked turning his gaze to Sage. "Her name is Bryah" she answered fondly, looking at the sleeping kit at her feet. "That means to be of great strength, right?" Sage nodded "I want her to grow up to be strong, strong enough to not be pushed around by other cats" she told him in a half-whisper and Flare knew that she was referring to the way that she herself had been unfairly treated.

"Come on" Flare whispered to her and began to lead the way out of the forest, through a different direction to which they had come from. She followed him carrying Bryah by the scruff. They were about to step out into a clearing, on their way out of the forest when an ugly ginger tom leapt in front of them, tail swishing menacingly.

His body was coated in scars and several of his claws had been wrenched out. "What do you want?" Flare asked, trying to seem intimidating. The tom gave a snigger "what do you care your just a stupid little kitty-pet, go run back to your two-legs" he ordered with a snort. "'Speckle' and I have some…unfinished business" he growled, his gaze fixed on Sage. She dropped her kit in front of Flare, tucking her safely between his forelegs. "I'm tired of playing you games, Seth. I'm leaving, isn't that what you wanted" she said, turning to face the yellow tom. Seth opened his eyes in mock surprise a crooked grin twisted itself onto his features. "What, I think you misunderstood, Sage. I didn't want you to leave, I wanted to kill you" he growled, eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

"That's why we wouldn't let you eat, we wanted to _starve_ you, but that didn't work so Zagan sent me to…finish the job, shall we say" he crowed, licking his lips in manic fashion. It was in that moment that Flare knew that there was something very wrong with that cat.

He stepped forward, ready to defend his friend but she stopped him, smiling weakly. "What, won't let your boyfriend fight for you, do wanna fight your own battles?" Seth mocked with a snort. "Why let him when I can do this", Sage swiped a paw across Seth's nose, her claws unsheathed. Droplets of blood flew through the air as her claws sliced through the delicate flesh.

Seth stood for a moment in surprise. He licked his nose testily, eyes widening as the metallic taste of blood met his tongue. His eyes narrowed and he unsheathed his claws in a flash of brilliant white. "You're going to regret that" he growled, raising a paw to slash her throat. Flare barrelled into her, saving her from Seth "run!" he yelled, grabbing Bryah and pelting after Sage who had bolted.

He looked back to see Seth crashing clumsily through the undergrowth. Sage stopped in front of him, "what is it?" he questioned, skidding to a halt beside her. His eyes widened, they stood at the edge of a cliff, far below a river rushed by. He gulped nervously taking a few steps back, away from the unstable edge. He turned to see Seth still chasing them, now only a few fox lengths away. "Fox-tails" he cursed through the mouthful of fur that was the tiny kit in his jaws. Sage sighed "we have to jump" she told him. He had expected to see fear in her eyes but instead there was only her dull, emotionless gaze.

Flare inhaled deeply, attempting to calm his growing nerves before he ran forward and threw himself off the edge, Sage following behind him. Wind smashed against his face as gravity sucked them downwards. He forced his eyes open, despite the stinging pain that met them and he braced himself for impact.

The icy water ripped the breath from his lungs. Water swarmed up his nose, causing him to splutter, almost losing his grip on the kit. He paddled furiously against the current that tried to drag him downriver. Sage had already managed to reach the opposing bank and was now calling out to her friend. "Come on" she urged, slightly panicked. As he swept further down Flare felt the scrape of rock against his paws. He struck out with his back paws and managed to propel himself sideways. Ne struggled to climb onto the steep bank, the weight of his dripping fur weighing him down, he clawed at the long grasses that lined the bank desperately trying to get a paw-hold on anything that could help him haul himself out of the freezing river.

He felt his legs slowly go numb, tiny specks of darkness appeared at the edge of his vision. "I'm coming" Sage yelled as she bounded over "hang on". She grabbed him by the scruff and proceeded to drag him onto dry land, Flare pushed himself up with all the strength he could muster in his rapidly weakening body and managed to scramble onto the bank where he lay panting. Sage grabbed Bryah from his grasp and began coating the shivering bundle with a series of rough licks, trying to warm up her only daughter.

Flare raised his head to look at Seth, the yellow tom stood at the edge of the cliff they had just dived from, and his tail lashed irritably. "This isn't over Speckles" he roared. Flare listened as Seth's voice slowly faded and he slipped into the darkness that tempted him.

Cody gazed at the moon from his shelter in a hollow under a large tree. Beside him Shadow groaned in her sleep. Shadow sat up suddenly, panting. Her heart beat loudly against her chest. For the past month she had been plagued by visions as she slept, visions of the cats she had killed. Their screams had filled her ears as a tide of blood had washed over her.

She saw Cody looking at her, a worried expression on his face. "I'm going to get a drink" she told him, forcing irritation into her voice, trying to sound normal but her voice broke into an unusually high squeak. "Do you want any company?" Cody asked her. She smiled and shook her head.

Shadow plunged her muzzle into the sluggish river in front of her, only a few fox-lengths from their chosen camp. She savoured the taste of the clean water as it washed away the reaming tang of blood from her dream. She inhaled slowly, calming her thumping heart.

Cody watched Shadow as she drank. He was worried about her, she seemed…different from the other cats he had met. He had seen the flash of pure terror that had lit up her eyes when she had woken. Terror and something else. Terror and just a pang of guilt.

**Authors Note: I know this could be longer but I think it went fairly well. Please review and constructive critism is greatly appreciated.**

**I am Nightwolf, King of the Wolves, and Leader of all Packs.**

**I am the Teller of Tales Forgotten.**

**I am the Storyteller.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: I would love it if you would be so kind as to leave a review. Even a short one will do. I will happily accept constructive criticism and ideas.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Warrior Cats**

* * *

Flare felt himself slowly regain consciousness. He groaned as a pulsing headache set in. he was faintly aware of Sage nudging him, trying to get him to stand but instead he rolled over, shaking his head slowly. He was too hot. He couldn't breathe! He couldn't breathe!

Sage felt helpless as she watched Flare squirming on the ground in front of her before his body fell limp as he lost consciousness. She sighed. Seth had long since left she hoped it was for good but then again she knew better than to get hopes up.

Flare raced through narrow alleys. Blood pounded in his ears and fear wormed its way into its heart. All around him the maniacal echo of laughter sounded. "Run little kitty-pet, run. You'll never get anywhere" the voice mocked him mid-laugh. Flare gritted his teeth and put on extra burst of speed. Thick, black for surrounded him. "I will kill you. I will kill everyone you love. You will die!" it cackled. A bloodcurdling howl erupted from behind him and a wave of pure terror washed over him as an army of dogs surged forward, jaws open. Teeth glinting.

Flare sat up suddenly panting heavily, ears flat against his skull. "We have to leave. Now" he addressed Sage urgently. She nodded taken-aback by the fear that tainted his voice. A sudden howl behind them sent chills down his spine. Sage stood eyes wide in fear "w-wolves" she half-whispered. "Run" Flare yowled as he raced through the trees he didn't know how far away the wolves were or what they wanted with them all he knew was that they had to run.

* * *

"Let's go" Shadow ordered, a quick glance up at the sky telling her that it was just past sun-high. "You sure? I mean we can stay a little longer if you want…" Shadow silenced him with a glare "we have to leave as soon as possible. There's a mountain at the other end of the forest. That is where we need to go" she growled. Cody cocked his head in confusion how did she know? He wondered.

As shadow picked her way through the dense undergrowth the scent of mouse met her nose, reminding her of the hunger she had forgotten. "We hunt here" Cody nodded and stalked off in a low crouch. Shadow took a quick glance at his stance and copied it, trailing silently along the forest floor. Her sharp hearing soon picked up the small scuffling of the mouse she had scented earlier. A small smirk played across her face as it came into view. A small squeak was all she heard as she pounced and trapped the small, furry creature beneath her claws, killing it with a swift bite.

She carried it back to where Cody was waiting with a catch of his own. "Nice catch" he purred. "Thanks" she grunted, hiding the pleasure that tickled her stomach. She gulped her mouse down swiftly and stood up, ready to move on. "Wait!" Cody exclaimed through a mouthful of vole. She looked to see him only half way through his meal. Shadow sighed back in the city she would never had to wait for anyone. She began silently cleaning her claws. She supposed she would just have to get used to this, her new life.

At last Cody finished and sat up, ready to go. They began walking north, to the mountains Shadow had foretold enjoying each other's company in a blissful silence. Cody stole a quick glance at his companion as they walked side-by-side. Even with the scar that marked her face she was still beautiful. 'No' Cody thought 'she's just a friend, why am I thinking about this? She's just a friend' but those thoughts disappeared instantly as he saw the light fall upon her muscular shoulders and sleek, black pelt. She was the most beautiful she-cat he had ever laid eyes on.

"Why are you staring at me?" Shadow asked, a flicker of amusement in her eye. "I'm sorry" Cody murmured hastily. "You didn't answer my question" Shadow pointed out. "I-no…it was nothing" he couldn't tell her what he had been thinking, what if she got offended and ran away he couldn't survive on his own. He wouldn't be able to raise a claw against a foe.

Shadow shrugged and continued walking. The gentle splashing ahead gave the hint of a river. "It must be narrower somewhere further down" Shadow said as the wide river came into view. Cody nodded, optimistic. They followed the river for twenty fox-lengths before Shadow stopped with a sigh. "We can just swim across, it can't be that hard" she said partially to herself. She stepped into the shallows and began to wade across. The rocks were slippery under-paw but she gritted her teeth and continued forward. Soon the river had reached her shoulder and she was forced to kick out and swim. Water surged into her mouth, making her splutter. Thankfully the river was calm and at last her paws met earth and she dragged herself up onto the bank.

She turned to see Cody struggling, grabbing at the long grass that lined the banks edge. "Help" he cried in panic as he slipped back into the water. Shadow rolled her eyes "come on, it's not that hard" she growled. Cody blinked slowly "easy for you to say, you've probably done this a million times!" he exclaimed accusingly. She shook her head in exasperation and dragged him onto dry land by the scruff. "Thanks" he panted. Shadow shrugged and shook the water out of her fur.

Shadow looked up to see mean, dark clouds spreading out through the sky. A faint roll of thunder echoed across the sky and a split second later a heavy stream of water fell from the sky. Shadow looked unimpressed as the fast-falling rain drenched her fur, plastering to her skin.

"Can we take sh-shelter?" Cody asked, freezing after being soaked in the summer storm. Shadow shook her head "we have to keep going" she mumbled, bracing herself as another wave of icy rain met her skin. She shivered involuntary. Cody looked at her, worry glinting in his usually-cheery eyes. "Come on, you'll catch green-cough" he insisted and began to lead the way to a sheltered spot under a rocky outcrop. "N-no" she protested weakly "w-we have to ke-keep going…" she said quietly but Cody had already lead her under the ledge. She felt light-headed as she curled up in a tight ball out of the reach of the biting wind and freezing rain, not bothering to dry her fur. She was faintly aware of Cody curling up beside her, his back against hers for warmth before she surrendered to sleep.

Cody watched as Shadow fell asleep beside him, her usually angry expression replaced by a soft, peaceful one. He purred softly at the sight. She looked so beautiful when she slept… He shook his head suddenly 'where were these thoughts coming from?' he asked himself angrily 'she was a friend. Nothing more' he turned around, covering his nose with his tail and fell asleep.

Shadow awoke with the rising sun the next morning. She stood up and walked out of their shelter. Her fur was damp from the night before and the even breathing from Cody told her he was still fast asleep. She began to clean her fur and tried to remove the uncomfortable dampness that made her fur heavy. The morning sun warmed her and the light breeze was refreshing.

Cody emerged from the outcrop a while later. "Shall we get going" Shadow questioned, impatient to get to their destination as soon as possible. Cody couldn't help the purr of amusement that escaped his throat. "What?" she barked only sounding partially irritated. "Are you suggesting that we spend another day travelling, without eating?" he asked her, still with an amused expression plastered across his face. Shadow opened her mouth to answer but snapped her jaws shut when nothing came to mind. "Fine, we'll go hunt" she said before promptly turning around to begin her hunt.

Shadow sighed. She felt full after the plump vole she had eaten and now she was beginning to feel drowsy. "Falling asleep are we?" Cody asked. He had that same amused, happy tone in his voice from earlier that day. She wondered why he was so peppy, was it something to do with her? No. it couldn't be, he was just her friend and besides…who would like a scarred, old, moggy like her? "Are you okay?" Cody asked. She shook the grim thoughts from her mind. "Fine" she said with a forced smile.

Cody was certain she hadn't been telling the truth when she had said she was fine but he shrugged it off. She got to her feet and gave a luxurious stretch. She gave a content sigh and began to walk towards the mountains. Cody followed behind, he stayed alert, eyes scanning the undergrowth for any signs of danger or something that could harm Shadow. 'NO!' he told himself fiercely 'you can't be protective of her, she is just a friend…if even that. Besides she can handle herself better than you can' he thought bitterly.

"Um…Shadow?" he began nervously. She turned her head towards him, a questioning look on her face "do you…I mean would…" he swallowed "would you teach me how to fight like you? I mean of course I would never get as good as you and it would probably take up too much of your time. You don't have to of course" he began to ramble. "Sure" Shadow told him and turned her gaze back to the path in front of him. Cody exhaled slowly "don't get so nervous next time" Shadow told him and Cody smiled his thanks.

* * *

Flares heart thudded in his chest as he bolted after Sage. He felt the wolf packs paws thud against the earth as they chased down the two cats. The pack leader howled and the rest of the pack surged forward, closing the distance between them. "Sage" Flare yowled "run faster!" he bellowed. Sage gritted her teeth as she forced her tired legs to put on a burst of speed. She darted through the forest, ignoring the thorns that scratched her sides and the odd stones that threatened to trip her up.

A sharp pain erupted in Flares leg as a wolf lunged and fastened its yellowed fangs to it. A yowl of pain escaped his throat as he was tossed up into the air like prey. But then again, he was their prey. He landed on his paws in front of the leader of the wolves before stumbling as another jolt of pain shot up his leg. He arched his back and hissed at the Alpha who bared his teeth in response.

Sage ran to Flares side after tucking Bryah safely in a hollow under the thick roots of an oak tree. She unsheathed her claws and arched her back as Flare had done. The Alpha flicked his gaze from one to the other, uncertain of which to attack first. The rest of the pack moved in, encircling them, a hungry gleam in their eyes.

Sage scored her claws sown the Alphas nose. He shook his broad head and drops of blood scattered the earth. He growled and sprang at Sage, trapping her under his large claws. A different wolf grabbed Flare by his wounded leg and smashed him against the ground with enough force to drive the air from his lungs. Sage yowled in fury and pain as she escaped from the Alphas grasp only to have him grab her ear, ripping off its tip. Blood dripped from the wound, wetting her face in a pool of dark crimson. Flare slashed at the wolf's face, aiming for its sensitive eyes and nose. His claws impacted with soft flesh this caused a whimper of pain from his fore but claws dug into his flesh, tearing into his side.

The alpha seized Sage by her scruff and shook her wildly. "Sage" Flare panted. Suddenly a bloodcurdling yowl split through the air, sending an icy chill down Flares spine. Shadows dived from the trees, landing on the dusty battlefield. Flares eyes widened as he realised they were cats. Fast-moving cats. Five of them landed silently beside him. A muscular tom let out a deep-throated bark and the other four moved into position.

Flares vision became blurry as pain overwhelmed him. He was faintly aware of more of the strange cats leaping down to save Sage where she lay on the ground, the only sign of the life being the faint rise and fall of her chest. Then he fell to darkness.

Flare lifted his head slowly, blinking away the hazy effects of sleep. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was lying in a nest of soft feathers and moss in a hollow of some sort. A large hole in front of him let the light from outside. He sat up as a cat jumped down from the hole into the hollow. The cat let out a small barking noise, the skinny tom's fur was plastered in mud and leaves dotted his pelt. "Um…hello" Flare greeted uncertainly. The strange tom's eyes lit up in some form of recognition. "Greetings" he said in a scratchy voice. "My name is Grint. Chief would like to speak with you" he said in his strange gravelly voice. "Okay. My name is Flare but where am I? And where is Sage" he asked. Grint cocked his head in confusion "Sage is the she-cat I was travelling with" he explained. "Oh yes. Your mate was badly injured in the fight but our healers are with her and she will be waiting with our Chief also. There is no time for more questions. Now is the time to meet Chief". Flare just nodded and followed Grint out of the hollow. His eyes grew wide at the sight outside. The hollow was set high in a thick tree trunk. Several branches and other tall trees made up a sort of camp for the many cats that wandered around. Grint grinned at Flares shocked expression. "Come, Chief will tell you more about our dwelling.

Flare followed Grint as he walked towards a huge tree that stood in the middle of the encampment. As they walked Flare looked back to the tree where his hollow had been. Several other holes lined the thick trunk and several thick branches allowed easy access to those higher up. At last they reached the largest tree. The entire trunk had been hollowed out, creating a large space inside. Grint gestured for Flare to enter and he waited outside. Flare exhaled slowly before he sprung into the den.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the lighting. At the other end of the den sat a tom with what must have been his mate at his side. "Greetings" the cat's voice was deep and had the same gravelled tone as Grints had. The tom was skinny and lithe and his fur was plastered in a thick mud. His mate was also coated in mud but she was more muscular than the tom. "Hello" Flare said uncertainly. He spotted Sage lying down in front of the muddy pair and he bounded over to her "Sage!" he cried. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

Sage's eyes were dull and the fur on side of her face was matted with blood. The tom spoke to his companion in a series of coughs and short barks. "My name is Grindle and this is my mate Skyrif" he said. "My name is Flare. Could you tell me where we are?" Grindle nodded his head. "Where is my kit?" Sage screeched suddenly, struggling to get to her feet before falling down again with sheer exhaustion. "These…monsters won't tell me" she spat "they won't tell me anything…" she whimpered burying her head in her paws, grief clouding her eyes.

Flare turned to Grindle who looked taken-aback by her outburst "she has a kit, a new-born with pale fur and grey specks. A she-cat named Bryah" he explained. Skyrif looked shocked "we didn't know. She was shouting something we-I presumed she was just going crazy because of the blood she lost" she admitted sorrowfully. Her voice was less gravelled than Grindles but still had that sound they all carried. Grindle bowed his head in apology to the weeping Sage. He turned to a tall she-cat that sat beside him and growled softly. The cat nodded her head before dashing out of the hollow with a graceful leap.

"I have sent her to our nursery, we have found several kittens on our land…some were abandoned and some…we couldn't rescue their parents in time" he muttered sadly. They waited in silence before an elderly tom with a greying muzzle entered the room with a kit hanging from his jaws. "Bryah" Sage cried as the kit was placed at her paws. The tom smiled "it has been a long time since I met cats who speak the language you do" he said "my name is Urzikai" he told them before exiting.

"Now" Grindle began "I believe we have some explaining to do. You are now standing in the Homebase of the Leaf-colony. When we came here we met the wolves as you did but we had nowhere else to reside and thus we moved to the tree tops. It took us several season-rotations to have our Homebase fully made but we achieved it. At first there was only five of us. Me, Skyrif, Ritkai, Solarat and our leader at the time Tarifer but then other cats began straying in. we would have to rescue them from the wolf pack. That is how we lost Tarifer but we had saved six other cats who were so grateful that they decided to join us. One of them Nutyin invented knew ways of fighting, including our disguises so that we could easily hide on the wolves. One day after we had about twenty cats we decided to attack the Alpha. We succeeded and we took home the wolf's skull as our prize.

I was elected leader. The only difficulty with new members was that we are from far away so we spoke a different tongue known as Cazpeak we taught it to them and in turn they taught us your tongue so that we could communicate with new members. That was long time ago and now our colony has forty-seven members" he said proudly. "How do you manage to control everyone? And everything?" Sage questioned having recovered from her earlier fit.

Grindle chuckled "I am the Chief but I have elected seven others to be captains. We have seven teams. Two patrol our turf, two hunt, two go on rescue missions and the last one will do anything else that needs doing, they are mainly the disciples who are in training. They might hunt a bit if needs be but they mainly refresh bedding, tend to the elders and queens". Sage nodded, satisfied with their answer.

"I am really sorry sir, but we must be going" Sage told him as she struggled to her feet. She swayed for a moment before collapsing against Flares shoulder who gasped as the sudden contact sent pain shooting through his wounded side. "No. you will stay here until you are both fully recovered" Grindle insisted sternly. "Thank you".

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**Authors Note: I apologise for the delay but I caught the terrible illness know as Writers Block. I would love to hear your opinions on the story in the reviews and thank you for reading. If you have any suggestions for singular names (or double-barrel names) I would love to include them in this fanfic.**

**I am Nightwolf, King of the Wolves, and Leader of the Packs.**

**I am the Teller of Tales Forgotten.**

**I am the Storyteller.**


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